Karawari Cave Arts -KCAF

KCAF is seeking a Community Engagement Officer to join our team.

Refer to advertisement below for more information. Applications close on the 1st of March, 2026.

Email applications to [email protected] or [email protected]

Applications can also be mailed to The ADMIN MANAGER, Karawari Cave Arts Fund, P.O Box 404, Madang, PNG

On behalf of the Karawari Cave Arts Fund, we extend our deepest gratitude to New Guinea Binatang Research for graciously hosting a recent conservation training and inviting two of our dedicated staff members to participate.

This generous opportunity has not only deepened our team's understanding of ecological stewardship but has also strengthened the bridge between scientific research and cultural preservation in the remote regions of the Karawari. Your commitment to nurturing partnerships rooted in respect, knowledge-sharing, and sustainable futures resonates strongly with our mission to empower local communities through arts, heritage, and environmental consciousness.

Thank you for believing in collaborative capacity building and for creating space for our voices and visions in the conservation dialogue. We look forward to future partnerships that celebrate biodiversity and the unique cultural tapestry of Papua New Guinea.

With sincere appreciation,
Karawari Cave Arts Fund.

🌿✨ 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟗! 😊

From June 19 to July 9, the New Guinea Binatang Research Center hosted its latest Community Conservation Training at Nagada Harbour, Madang — empowering 20 local community leaders, including 5 inspiring women, with practical skills to protect PNG’s forests, biodiversity, and communities.

Participants came from some of PNG’s most precious conservation areas — 𝑻𝒆𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒆, 𝑴𝒕 𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒎, 𝑲𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒊, 𝑴𝒂𝒖𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂, 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒔, 𝑴𝒕 𝑩𝒂𝒍𝒃𝒊 & 𝑲𝒖𝒏𝒖𝒂 — bringing home local wisdom and a big commitment to safeguard nature for the future.

Over three weeks, they tackled rainforest ecology, biodiversity monitoring, plant and insect surveys, boundary mapping with GPS & drones, and visited the iconic Balek Wildlife Sanctuary — seeing how local communities can protect forests from threats like logging.

A highlight: a special day on Gender Equality, Disability & Social Inclusion (GEDSI), where a specialist led lively group work and honest discussions on why inclusion makes conservation stronger for everyone.

This training comes at a critical time as PNG steps up climate action and community-led forest protection, supported by the 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒆. 💚🌏

As participants head home, they carry skills, maps, fresh ideas and strong networks — proving local leadership is at the heart of real conservation.

𝑻𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒘𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒔, 𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆!

Follow our page for more intriguing stories and pictures from this training.

World Wetlands Day 2025

According to the United Nations Annual Calander, 2nd February is annually commemorated as the World Wetlands Day. This year’s theme centered on “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future”, which emphasizes on the urgency of actions towards the protection and sustenance of wetlands around the world. Wetlands include rivers, lakes, floodplains, peatlands, marshes and swamps. These geographical features are significant contributors towards natural human habitats, culture, biodiversity, freshwater supply, food security and eco-tourism.

Karawari Cave Arts Fund (KCAF), focuses on indigenous anthropology and cultural survival and works in engagement with several communities of the Karawari Tributary of the massive Sepik River. While our aim is towards exploring and conserving one of the largest cave complexities of the world, we also acknowledge the geography of the area and how the Sepik River and its tributaries shape the livelihood of the people. Through its field engagements and partnerships, KCAF field team was able to spread conservation awareness to villages in the Arafundi, Karawari, Bokopmeri and Blackwara census divisions of the Karawari. The organization, through its partnership with Partners in Melanesia Inc. and Binatang Research Centre was also able to successfully complete a Forest Inventory Reconnaissance Survey Report in 2015 and a Biodiversity Survey in 2023. These surveys documented very interesting findings and also highlighted the geography of the area, its profound importance and threats associated with large-scale degradation activities.

In relation to this years World Wetland Day theme ‘ Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future’ , in the 2023, Biodiversity Survey Report, the Binatang Research Centre, in reference to threats of large-scale degradation in Karawari and its potential effects, the report highlighted that large-scale degradation of the area ‘will result in the decline of the delicately interlaced biodiversity of this rich and scientifically unexplored area and may pose a threat to downstream communities, and ultimately, the longest river in PNG and its increasingly fragile status as the largest uncontaminated freshwater system in Asia-Pacific’.

Happy World Water Day 2025_ “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future”.

As Papua New Guinea Celebrates its 49th Independence Day today, we at KCAF also Remember the life and Legacy of the Late Dr Nancy Sullivan. The Late Nancy's Birthday coincides with Papua New Guinea's Independence Day

Apart from her consultancy firm NSA engaged in Anthropological and Social Research in respective areas of PNG, she is also founder of KCAF . The Late Dr Nancy Sullivan spent the last decade of her life working with clan groups in project communities doing cave research to document and preserve the extensive ancient caves of Karawari .

The late Dr Nancy is survived by her adopted son Chris Dominic with the KCAF team continuing her legacy today as they continue to conduct research , document and work towards preserving these extensive caves and rich rainforest of Karawari.

Happy Birthday Dr Nancy and Happy Independence Papua New Guinea🎉🇵🇬

Credits Daily Mail for the picture.

International Day of Worlds Indigenous Peoples
-9th August

According to the United Nations, there are around 200 groups of Indigenous People currently living in voluntary isolation and initial contact. They reside in remote forests rich in natural resources in Bolivia, Brazil , Colombia, Equador, India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea,Peru and Venezuela. These indigenous people strictly depend on their ecological environment and hold distinctive cultures relating to their environment. However, they are also under constant threat from external contact and destructive developmental activities.

In our work, KCAF as a local NGO in Papua New Guinea recognizes this significant link between the indigenous communities of Karawari and their environment. This has prompted our teams to work relentlessly in the areas of Cave Research and Community Engagement. Efforts under these components are towards recognizing and attaining the special measures required to protect their rights in preserving their cultural heritage and natural environment.

Happy International Day of the World's Indigenous People.

Seen below is our Stuff, our partner organization BRG and Community Partners during our 2024 Annual Reflection and Planning Workshop held in Yaramat (Yenitabak), Ward 16 of Karawari LLG, Angoram District.

51,200-Year-Old Cave Art, Likely the World’s Oldest, May Not Have Been Made by Modern Humans - The Debrief New evidence suggests cave art on the island of Sulawesi, believed to be the world’s oldest, dates to an astonishing 51,200 years ago.

KCAF would like to thank the New Guinea Binatang Research staffs for their hospitality and support during the Biodiversity survey presentation at Binatang Research facility in Nagada, Madang on the 7th of June 2024. It's an honor to have toured the beautiful facilities and have the opportunity to see the preserved masterpieces for research purposes.
New Guinea Binatang Research Centre

A pleasant debriefing session with our very own Rock Art specialist Dr Roxanne from UPNG and Ms Kyle from the National Museum & Arts Gallery with one of KCAF's board member Ms Loretta Hasu. Thank you all for your time!

Indigenous people and NGO grow a wildlife corridor in the world’s oldest rainforest Indigenous ranger Jason Petersen remembers how he used to watch the world’s oldest rainforest in wonder as a child. When the rains arrived, they would wash the dust from the trees, revealing the lush colors of the forest. Now, as an adult, he says he hopes his son will experience the same awe as h...

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Today on Native Non-Profit Day, we are highlighting some of our amazing partners around the world.

The Tenure Facility works with Indigenous Peoples and local communities across the developing world so they can thrive and expand the sustainable management and protection of their forests and lands.

Please visit their website and consider supporting them in their important work! (And follow them too!)

https://thetenurefacility.org

Take back to February 2024. KCAF was privileged to be invited to the Kimadi community based natural resources document launching and conservation deed signing.
Other government department officials and NGO partners were also invited, thanks to The Nature's Conservancy and Kimadi community, North Coast, Madang.
This is what we KCAF want for our Karawari people. For them to realize the value of their land and natural resources.